CLASP

What CLASP did

This year we supported 9 additional families in the Dunoon area who really needed respite support. We now support a total of 29 families. Over the past year we have provided: 25 respite days (one Saturday per month plus extra days during school holidays) to families in Dunoon to give carers a break from their caring role. These respite days ran from 10-4 pm and we offered a pick-up/drop off service to all of the families using the service.

While carers were having a break, their child with a disability got to take part in lots of new, fun activities and experiences including horse-riding, canoeing, sailing, cinema, swimming trips, and got to socialise with other children.

We have worked with the Zone Club to provide staff cover for an after-school Sports Club for children with additional support needs. These sessions ran as 6-8 week blocks during term-time and have been very popular with the 20 children taking part. We have established a Parent Group which runs at the same time as the Zone Club which gives parents time to socialise together.

At the request of parents, we have been running a Parent Forum on a monthly basis when parents can pop along for a cup of tea and have the opportunity to talk to others and seek help or guidance.

The carers we have supported through this service have used the their respite time to do variety of things. Some of the things carers have told us about include:

Spending time with other family members. One family have used the time to take their other daughter to the cinema or for a coffee, meeting up with friends to go for lunch, catching up with housework, going shopping or just relaxing at home with a magazine and a cup of tea and attending fitness classes at the gym.

What Cornerstone has learned

The additional funds have firmly put CLASP on the map as a service that is growing and adapting to suit the needs within the local area. Having access to this funding has enabled us to help more families in the Dunoon area. CLASP has become a household name within the local community.

The requests and referrals over the past few months have rapidly increased and the social work department has become more involved. Most of our referrals recently have been by word of mouth from parents, and staff promoting our service. This increase in interest has definitely increased the pressure on our staff who are busier than ever. Our staff meet regularly to discuss and plan their workloads to ensure that their time is always being used in the best possible way.

We have recently had leaflets printed and have made these available across the community. I think we have attracted new families in harder to reach areas by promoting our pick up and drop of service, as transport is often a barrier to families in less accessible areas.